The theater landscape is in shock: the author, director and artistic director of the Volksbühne Berlin René Pollesch died unexpectedly on February 26th. He was 61 years old. Pollesch wrote over 200 plays and had a decisive and lasting influence on theater since the 1980s. His style, described as “discourse theater,” was unmistakable, says SWR Kultur theater critic Eva Marburg.
Pollesch made theater like no other
René Pollesch directed primarily at the Volksbühne Berlin, where he directed the small venue, the “Prater”, from 2001 to 2007 – a period that established his fame. René Pollesch made theater like no other. His handwriting was unmistakable.
His death was completely unexpected, says SWR2 theater critic Eva Marburg. Just two weeks ago, Pollesch celebrated the acclaimed premiere of “Nothing is OK” in Berlin. The first reactions on social media also speak of shock among theater makers and companions.
Pioneer of post-dramatic theater
Pollesch studied applied theater studies in Giessen in the 1980s and, as a director, was one of the pioneers of so-called postdramatic theater. Pollesch was interested in theater as an event, says Marburg.
When big questions suddenly turned into the everyday, into the banal, this resulted in the typical Pollesch humor
He himself spoke of theater as a “reflection booth”. Others described his work as “discourse theater”.
Language samples from art and pop culture
For Pollesch, language was the focus and was shaped by the examination of philosophy and discourse. He sampled this into a spoken medley along with quotes from pop culture, film, theater history, songs and everyday life.
“When big questions suddenly turned into the everyday, the banal, that resulted in the typical Pollesch humor,” says Marburg. For example, overcoming the loneliness while buying bread rolls: “Trying to go to the bakery together. Hoping that just that “It’s possible that you’re not lonely.”
What does capitalism do to people?
René Pollesch’s central theme was criticism of capitalism, influenced by Bertolt Brecht. “He was concerned with the questions of how to be together, how to escape loneliness, how love works and all of that in a world that is shaped by capitalism, by market logic, by usability.”
How do we define human relationships and closeness when everything is subject to the logic of money? What does that do to us? These are questions that Pollesch took very seriously, says Eva Marburg. This was also reflected in his piece titles such as “I don’t know what a place is – I only know its price.”
Extremely large fan base
The fact that René Pollesch took the question of what it means to be human so seriously gave his work a very special atmosphere, says Marburg. This attracted a lot of people, which is why René Pollesch had a very large fan base.
“You rarely experience such a strong sense of community and belonging as he was able to create in the theater.” This feeling could then have been found again and again in his productions.